Space Tourism and Private Space Travel Must Be Safe, House Panel Says

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The risks of space tourism and other private spaceflight missions
must be clearly understood and addressed if the burgeoning
commercial space industry is to succeed, House lawmakers told the
Federal Aviation Administration Tuesday (March 20).

The comments came as George Nield, the FAA's associate
administrator for commercial space transportation, and Wilbur
Trafton, chairman of the FAA's commercial space transportation
advisory committee, testified before the House Subcommittee on
Space and Aeronautics Tuesday (March 20) in Washington, D.C.

"The public needs a clear understanding of the
risks involved with commercial space transportation, and it
will need to be convinced those risks are being effectively
managed," said Acting Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Ranking
Member Jerry Costello (D-Il). "[The Office of Commercial Space
Transportation] will be at the center of establishing those
expectations, as it will have a critical role in ensuring the
safety
of would-be space tourists, and potentially even of NASA
astronauts or other spaceflight participants."

Some new private space vehicles are expected to begin operational
flights by 2013, Nield said in his testimony. But the FAA will
hold off on imposing safety regulations for space tourist
passengers until October 2015, after sufficient time working
alongside spacecraft developers to better understand the risks
involved, he added.

The private space tourism and launch industry is poised for a
major boom. The company Virgin Galactic, for example, is expected
to conduct the first rocket-powered flight tests of its
suborbital passenger spacecraft SpaceShipTwo — an eight-person
spacecraft — by the end of this year. Meanwhile, NASA is
supporting efforts by several different companies that are
building their own private spaceships to carry astronauts, such
as the
Dragon space capsule, which is built by California-based firm
SpaceX.

During the hearing, members of the subcommittee reviewed the FAA
Office of Commercial Space Transportation's (AST) 2013 budget
request, and also outlined the agency's main priorities and
challenges. For fiscal year 2013, the Obama Administration is
requesting $16.7 million for the AST, representing a 2.6 percent
increase over the funds appropriated for the previous year.
[ Infographic:
The Dangers of Human Spaceflight ]

"We are all well aware of the historic change that has taken
place in the U.S. space program with the retirement of the space
shuttle," Nield said in his address to the lawmakers. "We watched
with mixed emotions as Atlantis lifted off the pad for its final
mission on July 8 of last year. That final mission left many
wondering about the future of space transportation in this
country. While it is certainly true that the launch marked the
end of an era, it also represented the beginning of what I am
confident will be an exciting
future in space for our nation."

With the space shuttles no longer flying, NASA is currently
relying on Russian vehicles to carry its astronauts to and from
the International Space Station. In the meantime, several
commercial companies are developing a new fleet of orbital and
suborbital vehicles to carry paying passengers.

As the government agency tasked with ensuring that the commercial
industry maintains the highest levels of safety for those in the
air and on the ground, the FAA has a demanding role to play in
the growing private spaceflight sector.

"The successful growth of commercial human spaceflight activities
can open new opportunities for commercial space," Costello said
in his opening statement. "However, realizing and sustaining the
promise of that industry will require close attention to safety."

Balancing risk and safety remains a hot button topic as the
private space exploration industry continues to grow.
Democratic subcommittee members discussed their concerns about
specific policy issues, including how the agency plans to handle
risks, financial responsibilities, safety regulations, and
partnerships with other agencies (such as NASA).

Lawmakers also brought up whether the AST's dual role as a
regulator and promoter of the commercial spaceflight industry is
appropriate. Today's dialogue indicated that important questions
will continue to be raised as the private space industry matures.

"Today's hearing was a good start to discussing AST's role in
safety and licensing for the emerging commercial suborbital and
orbital human spaceflight industry," Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)
said. "However, I am concerned that we have yet to get answers to
many questions that remain, including how safety regulations will
be developed and whether the U.S. government should extend shared
liability and indemnification protection to the commercial human
spaceflight industry."

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